The following is an excerpt from my book, “Never Kick a Cow Chip On A Hot Day” (2016) Morgan James Publishing. Most executives squander too much of their most valuable resource, their time.Here is how to get a good return on that asset. Getting a Return On Your Time The $59 time-management seminar I went […]
The following is an excerpt from my book, “Never Kick a Cow Chip On A Hot Day” (2016) Morgan James Publishing. The final chapter is titled, “Balancing For Big Shots.” Here is part of my answer to the question, “How do I balance my life as an executive?” Selfishness Has A Bad Rep… Did you […]
Some leadership books are timeless My sous chef Alexa and I were cooking dinner the other night, and I asked her, “Alexa, play top songs from 1981.” (I didn’t say please. I know she’s artificial intelligence, but I still feel guilty.) 1981 is the year our first child was born. After listening to about 10 […]
Brevity has its limitations Simplifying messages is a talent that’s extremely valuable in an executive. Framing issues quickly and getting to the essence is a skill that comes more naturally to some than others. But it’s valuable and learnable, whether you’re an executive or on your first job. Brevity, however, has its limitations. “Go, team, […]
There’s always something wrong. Perfection doesn’t exist in business. Perhaps it doesn’t exist anywhere, but there are some spots on the planet that might be close: Glacier National Park, the Tetons, chairlift KT-22 at Squaw Valley or a 20-inch cutthroat trout on the first cast. Business, however, is a system, and what’s most important is […]
The average life expectancy of a pilot who flies into clouds and who is not instrument rated is 178 seconds. I can also tell you from past experience that even instrument rated pilots (I am one—though no longer flying) get spatial disorientation. In fact they get confused at about the same rate as those approved […]
A recent annual ski trip with guys I worked with years ago produced many interesting conversations. But the one right before we boarded airplanes to head off to homes in three states was particularly interesting. We were all still engaged in business in some capacity. We talked, however, about how a couple of talented people […]
What do your customers hate about you? If you answer that and find a solution, you’ll likely grow. Some time ago a story about Elon Musk caught my eye. He saw that there was a complaint on social media about people leaving their Tesla cars at the charging stations longer than required, causing new arrivals […]
Judge a Man by His Questions “It is easier to judge the mind of a man by his questions rather than his answers.” —Pierre-Marc-Gaston de Lévis Think about your day yesterday. What questions did you face? If you’re like many busy executives, they were probably along the lines of: -Did the Western division get its […]
Are you prepared to lead with just your own skills? Three days after Christmas the temperature was slightly above freezing. After spending the bulk of the previous three days in the house, I went for a bike ride. On my previous ride, my bike computer showed a low-battery symbol. Sure enough, it was dead by […]